Grantee Research Project Results

Identifying the Physical and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter Responsible for the Observed Adverse Health Effects

EPA Grant Number: R827353C014
Subproject: this is subproject number 014 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R827353
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Health Effects Institute (2015 - 2020)
Center Director: Greenbaum, Daniel S.
Title: Identifying the Physical and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter Responsible for the Observed Adverse Health Effects
Investigators: Koutrakis, Petros , Godleski, John J. , Coull, Brent , Lawrence, Joy
Institution: Harvard University
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: June 1, 1999 through May 31, 2005 (Extended to May 31, 2006)
RFA: Airborne Particulate Matter (PM) Centers (1999) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Particulate Matter , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air

Objective:

Although many of the individual toxicological studies described here were done with support of other grants, the final analyses were done with support from our Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) PM Center. The primary objectives of the analyses conducted for this project were: to characterize the components of CAPs that are significantly associated with the development of pulmonary inflammation; to determine whether short term exposures to CAPs alter the morphology of small pulmonary arteries; and to determine if increased pathologic responses may have similarly resulted from concentrated exposures to what may be considered non-toxic silicate particles. These analyses have resulted in a number of publications, several of which are described below (Batalha, et al., 2002; Saldiva, et al., 2002; Godleski, et al., 2002).

To characterize the components of CAPs that are significantly associated with the development of pulmonary inflammation, mature male rats were exposed to CAPs using the Harvard/EPA Ambient Particle Concentrator (HAPC) to determine if pulmonary inflammation was affected in a dose-dependent manner. Chronic bronchitic (CB) rats were employed as a model of pulmonary disease (250 ppm SO₂ x 5 days/week for 6 weeks). Age-matched, room air-exposed rats were used as a normal control group. For urban particle exposures, normal or CB animals were exposed by inhalation for 6 hours/day for three consecutive days to CAPs or filtered air. In all, we had six complete studies as outlined in Table 1 below. This number of experimental exposures allowed us to relate CAPs composition to animal responses. Before the first day of exposure, and after the last day of exposure, animals in each group had breathing pattern studies using the BUXCO analysis system. On the day after the last exposure, animals were sacrificed and studied by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), collection of BAL cellular RNA, total lung RNA and collection of lung and heart tissues for morphologic studies.

Table 1. Experimental Design

Date	Total # of Animals	Number of animals for BAL Studies				No. of Animals for Histology Studies	No. of Animals for BUXCO Studies	Three-Day Mean CAPs (μg/m3)	Conc. Factor
		Air		CB
		Sham	CAPs	Sham	Caps
Mar. 1997	40	8	8	8	8	2	none	170.7	19.9
June 1997	40	8	8	8	8	2	6-8	481.0	29.9
Sept 1997	48	10	10	10	10	2	15-21	187.1	12.1
Jan 1998	47	8	8	8	8	3-4	9-12	126.1	18.2
Mar. 1998	40	8	8	7	8	2-3	6-12	267.3	35.1
June 1998	44	7	8	8	8	2-4	8-12	300.7	38.2

Publications and Presentations:

Publications have been submitted on this subproject: View all 5 publications for this subproject | View all 207 publications for this center

Journal Articles:

Journal Articles have been submitted on this subproject: View all 5 journal articles for this subproject | View all 204 journal articles for this center

Supplemental Keywords:

Health, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, PHYSICAL ASPECTS, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, HUMAN HEALTH, Susceptibility/Sensitive Population/Genetic Susceptibility, Physical Processes, Risk Assessments, particulate matter, Biology, genetic susceptability, Environmental Chemistry, Epidemiology, Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Molecular Biology/Genetics, Air Pollution Effects, Air Pollution Monitoring, Children's Health, indoor air, Atmospheric Sciences, Health Effects, Toxicology, air toxics, Environmental Monitoring, Risk Assessment, air quality, health risks, Human Health Risk Assessment, indoor air quality, sensitive populations, epidemelogy, respiratory disease, ambient monitoring, lead, pulmonary disease, biological mechanism , human exposure, indoor exposure, respiratory, ambient air monitoring, biological response, cardiopulmonary responses, dosimetry, monitoring, pulmonary, susceptibility, genetic susceptibility, particulate exposure, chemical exposure, children, exposure, particulates, developmental effects, ambient particle health effects, air pollutants, ambient air, inhaled particles, molecular epidemiology, environmental health hazard, inhalation toxicology, air pollution, ambient air quality, cardiopulmonary, cardiovascular disease, human health effects, human health risk, assessment of exposure, human susceptibility, ambient measurement methods, cardiopulmonary response, exposure assessment, inhalation, interindividual variability, PM 2.5, particle exposure

Progress and Final Reports:

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

Final Report

Main Center Abstract and Reports:

R827353    Health Effects Institute (2015 - 2020)

Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R827353C001 Assessing Human Exposures to Particulate and Gaseous Air Pollutants
R827353C002 Quantifying Exposure Error and its Effect on Epidemiological Studies
R827353C003 St. Louis Bus, Steubenville and Atlanta Studies
R827353C004 Examining Conditions That Predispose Towards Acute Adverse Effects of Particulate Exposures
R827353C005 Assessing Life-Shortening Associated with Exposure to Particulate Matter
R827353C006 Investigating Chronic Effects of Exposure to Particulate Matter
R827353C007 Determining the Effects of Particle Characteristics on Respiratory Health of Children
R827353C008 Differentiating the Roles of Particle Size, Particle Composition, and Gaseous Co-Pollutants on Cardiac Ischemia
R827353C009 Assessing Deposition of Ambient Particles in the Lung
R827353C010 Relating Changes in Blood Viscosity, Other Clotting Parameters, Heart Rate, and Heart Rate Variability to Particulate and Criteria Gas Exposures
R827353C011 Studies of Oxidant Mechanisms
R827353C012 Modeling Relationships Between Mobile Source Particle Emissions and Population Exposures
R827353C013 Toxicological Evaluation of Realistic Emissions of Source Aerosols (TERESA) Study
R827353C014 Identifying the Physical and Chemical Properties of Particulate Matter Responsible for the Observed Adverse Health Effects
R827353C015 Research Coordination Core
R827353C016 Analytical and Facilities Core
R827353C017 Technology Development and Transfer Core